Gridironstuds.com Blog

The talent was in huge supply at the Nike Camp earlier this month as prospects from all across the middle and southern parts of Florida showed up to compete against the best the Sunshine State has to offer.

Standing tall,  literally,  amongst the crowd of college hopefuls was an impressive looking 6’7″ prospect from Tarpon Springs High School.   Zach DeBell was more than just the tallest tree in the bunch.  It became evident in the preliminary drills that DeBell was as athletic as he was tall.  This is a rare combo at this age.  With his athleticism,  he could easily play tight end and make plenty of defenses miserable but the recruiting action on DeBell has been strictly as a tackle.  DeBell was a formidable opponent in 1-on-1′s versus the defensive line as his length, quickness and technique stymied many attempts to get to the dummy signifying the QB.

With his physical attributes and skill level,  it should come as no shock that DeBell has garnered a great deal of recruiting interest. So much so that the he has created his own website: zachdebell.com to keep recruiters and fans alike up to date on his latest information.  DeBell is holding nine offers as of now from schools like Clemson, Georgia Tech, Mississippi and South Carolina.   He’s also being recruited by all of the major Florida schools and holds offers from both USF and UCF.    He’s taking unofficial visits to campuses and getting a feel for those in pursuit of him.

“I went to Georgia and would like to see more of that school and UNC was beautiful,” DeBell said.

DeBell says that he was invited to Florida’s practices,  was extended an invitation to the University of Miami’s recent spring game and has spoken with Florida St.

“FSU’s Trickett is really cool,”  DeBell remarked, “I like his coaching and all of the ways he coaches.”

Does that give the Seminoles a leg up on recruiting him?  Hard to tell because DeBell says he has no favorites.  The only recruiting nugget I was able to pull out of all this wasn’t one at all.  DeBell grew up an Appalachain St. fan.

When I sounded amazed at this revelation,   DeBell explained further.

“Both my folks went there and my grandmother lived up there and she recently passed so I really root for that school,” he said.  He also playfully added “Don’t diss the App.”

At least I hope he was playing,  I don’t have  good history tussling with 6’7″ 265 pounders.

Eventhough he roots for Appalachain St.,  DeBell is not putting them on his recruiting list.   He obviously has bigger options and he also points out that they have not expressed any interest.

DeBell will take a careful walk through the recruiting process and will undoubtedly pile up more offers during the spring recruiting season.  For now,  it’s anyone’s guess as to who excites him the most.

Check out Zach DeBell’s highlight video at Gridironstuds.com,  click here.

High School Football zach debell

It’s that time of year as the track seasons start to wind down to take a look at the football players (particularly the Gridironstuds.com members) that are getting it done on the track.  These athletes have traded in their helmets for the tank top and track spikes and have shown their versatility by heating up the synthetic rubber.

You have to start with the fastest man in the country and that’s Ryan Lankford of Paxon Advanced Studies School in Jacksonville.  Lankford has committed to Illinois to play football this Fall and will take his 10.41 speed to Champagne to try and help the Fighting Illini climb back up the Big Ten standings.  Lankford’s 10.41 time is tops in the nation.

2010 Miami Hurricanes signee Latwan Anderson (pictured right) from Glenville H.S. in Ohio  has heated up the track in a big way.  Anderson has moved from a very successful season on the football field to an equally as impressive season on the track.  Anderson currently holds the fastest time in the country in the 200 with a 20.92 clocking last Saturday at the Maralyn H. West Invitational.  However,  that’s not all,  Anderson also holds the fourth fastest time in the country in the 400 meters with a time of 48.42 also run last week at the Maralyn West Invitational.   The football standout signed a track scholarship with the Hurricanes in March,  one month after the February 4th National Letter of Intent Signing Date.  It was a move met with some skepticism but Anderson is proving that move to be fruitful signing for both the track and football teams at the University of Miami.

Yet another top performer from the Gridironstuds.com members is St. Thomas Aquinas’ Cody Riggs.  The 2010 Florida signee and defending Florida state champ in the 300 meter hurdles currently holds the top time in the event this year with a time of 36.51.  He also ranks 2nd in the 110 meter hurdles nationwide with a time of 14.03 and he ranks 6th in the long jump with a mark of 23′-2.5″.

Other Gridironstuds.com football players turned track athletes performing well in the sprints are:   Shane Wynn,  Anderson’s teammate at Glenville.  Wynn has posted a 10.60 in the 1o0 meters making him tied for 14th overall in the country.  Wynn also has a 21.45 in the 200 meters under his belt this season.  Crenshaw (California) High School’s De’Anthony Thomas laid down a 10.67 in the 100 meters and a 21.48 in the 200 meters.    Miami Northwestern’s Corvin Lamb who will play for Louisville in 2010  has a 2010 best of 10.78 in the 100 meters.

Class of 2011 wide receiver Phillip Dorsett of St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) has bests of 10.79 in the 100 meters, 21.97 in the 200 meters, 15.05 in the 110 meter hurdles, 39.14 in the 300 meter hurdles and has a nationally ranked mark of 47′ 9.50 in the Triple Jump.  Oh and by the way,  Dorsett is also a member of Aquinas’ 400 meter and 1600 meter relay teams.  He is the most versatile track athlete in this report.    Douglas High School (Florida)  junior Orville Reynolds has a 10.80 clocking in the 100 meters to his credit this 2010 outdoor season.  2010 Florida St. signee Lamarcus Joyner of St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) has a 100 meter best of 10.83.   8th Grade sensation Sony Michel from American Heritage Plantation (Florida) clocked a 10.82 yesterday in his district meet.   Yes,  I did say 8th grade.

LSU 2010 signee Kadron Boone,  wide receiver from Trinity Catholic in Florida has a 100 meter best of 10.87.   2010 Ohio St. signee Corey Brown from Cardinal O’Hara (Pennsylvania) is ranked 28th in the country in the 200 with a time of 21.80.   Louisville 2010 signee Michaelee Harris from Miami Northwestern is 9th in the country in the 400 with a time of 48.65.

High School Football cody riggs, corvin lamb, de'anthony thomas, kadron boone, lamarcus joyner, latwan anderson, Michaelee Harris, orville reynolds, phillip dorsett, ryan lankford, shane wynn

There’s no doubt that a running back is measured by production and with that being the case just call Alvin Delanie “The Producer”.  Delanie used his sharp cuts,  leg drive, vision and break away speed to crank out 1,659 yards and 24 TD’s rushing in 2009.   He didn’t stop there as he gashed the opposition for another 268 yards receiving and another 4 touchdowns.   You have to love that when you are the coach and Hernando High School is grateful.   The opposition is not so happy.  The first clip on his highlight video can only be described as ridiculous as every defender on the film took a turn at Delanie with no results.  Six broken tackles later,  Delanie was in the end zone with the ball for a 50 yard touchdown.   It goes on and on during the video as he makes defenders red faced with embarrassment.  He’s definitely worth the price of admission and 3:51 of your time to watch his exploits.  View Alvin Delanie’s highlight video.

Video of the Day alvin delanie

The reason I started Gridironstuds.com was to help talented football players use their athleticism to continue their education beyond high school and have a better opportunity to succeed in life.  The following email I received from an appreciative parent symbolizes all that Gridironstuds.com stands for:

…………….. . ……….. . ……………. . …………….. . ……………. . ………………

To:
Chad Wilson,
Gridironstuds.com

Thanks for inquiring of our progress.

Patrone has been offered a starting position and signed as RB at a small D-2 university in Western Penn. (Seton Hill, Greensburg, PA). Which (I believe) you referred him to.  They offered him a  full scholarship plus a starting position, a new Mac and Ipod/phone and an opp to meet Jerome Bettis and the Steelers.  We found that respectable. We had considered JC or prep but Patrone likes this route and is looking forward to getting away for a while.  D-1 would have been nice (and may still come along perhaps) but we’re pleased at this point.

The school has recently invested $26M in its performing arts program and though we had other options to consider,  this falls in line with his musical ambitions.  They have considered him at DT (which he still may play) but they’ve not overlooked his talents as a RB and want him to come out and (in their words) “carry the rock”.  We visited the school and Patrone feels (as do we) that, though modest, he can do well there.  Patrone’s position is that as they seem to be a young team (6 yrs or so) and are building a program that he wants to be a big part of. In his words: “Dad, I’m gonna go there and put them on the map just like I did YV”.  What a cool kid!  He is currently gearing up a conditioning schedule for himself that I will help out with. He is Maintaining his weight at 260 and looks good.  We are encouraging him to do a double major to maximize the opportunity and not focus on the pros so much.  If it happens so be it but not to forget what “school” is for.

I hear that the admin at our school looks and feels mighty foolish at this point (scuttlebutt) not helping the #1 RB get into a D1 and all.  As I mentioned we have had little to no school involvement in the recruit process so it was a struggle to get notoriety and we do appreciate the support and continued interest of Gridironstuds in our son’s progress. If (and when?) Patrone makes it big, Gridironstuds gets a big mention!

BTW and Interestingly enough, you should know that I’ve come to find that college coaches place very little value on a parents submission as opposed to a service such as Gridironstuds which is how he our scholarship came to be.

We would like to thank you and Gridironstuds for your assistance in the recruiting process.
Patrone (dad)

PS. We are hearing (here late in the game) from other schools now. Too late!

Check out Patrone Wood’s highlight video at Gridironstuds.com,  click here.

General patrone wood

Friday April 9th

St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Rashad Greene has received a scholarship offer from the University of Miami.  Miami joins Florida, Florida St., Wake Forest and Georgia as the schools that have offered Rashad Greene.

Arizona St. is the latest school to make an offer to standout Inglewood H.S. (California) wide receiver Patrick Onwusor.

Thursday April 8th

Plantation DE Ryan Shazier will be making yet another trip to Gainesville, Florida to check out the Gators.  Soon after this trip,  Shazier is expected to put out his list of top schools after this trip.

Wednesday April 7th

Clemson and Central Florida are the two latest schools to make offers to Nature Coast Tech H.S. wide receiver Ja’Juan Story.  Story now has 19 total offers.

Tuesday April 6th

The University of Miami has made an offer to St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

Rumors and Wires ja'juan story, phillip dorsett, rashad greene, ryan shazier

One of my favorite sites online is ProFootballReference.com.  You want pro football information as it relates to stats,  statistical analysis and things of that nature then you can’t beat this site.

They have year by year results and team by team results going way back.  You can get year by year stats on players going way, way back.  On more recent players you can get game by game statistics.  If you play fantasy football,  you have to be a regular visitor to this site.

For Draft junkies,  they have put out a new tool.  You can go to their site and view round by round,  team by team selections for every NFL draft dating back to 1936!!  Trust me you will get stuck on this part of the site alone for hours.  You can use this to settle that argument with a friend or answer a trivia question.    It’s awesome.

Can you remember who was the next player taken after Eric Dickerson (pictured right) in the 1983 draft?  You can find out with ProFootballReference.com’s Draft Search Tool.   Check it out now,  click here.

General

I am always proud when our Gridironstuds.com members accomplish something, This is why I am pleased to announce that three Gridironstuds.com members have been named to ESPN Rise magazines top 2011 California prospects to watch.

Nelson Fishback (pictured right) was laying low just a few months ago but now he’s starting to turn heads and wake people up.  Fishback does not come from a wide open passing attack at Durham High School but he has impressed nonetheless.  See Fishback at QB a camp and he quickly becomes the model that the coaches are telling all the other players to imitate.  Fishback should have a strong 2010 season.  View his highlight video,  click here.

Inglewood’s Patrick Onwusor is like that guy walking through the door strapped with grenades to his body…… dangerous.  Onwusor will take your best defensive back and make him wonder if he should be playing football.  He can beat the coverage and even when he doesn’t he’ll make the play anyway.   How’s that for trouble?  Just another in a long line of talent to flow out of that Los Angeles area high school.  View Patrick Onwusor’s highlight video produced by Under the Radar Productions.

DeAnthony Thomas from Crenshaw High in Los Angeles is a blur.  He might have just run in front of your computer screen and you didn’t even know it.  Going from 0 to 60 in a flash,  Thomas cuts up defenses like a flank steak and leaves cussing opposing coaches in his wake.  He’s a ball of excitement and he can take the life out of you from both sides of the ball.  Don’t believe me,  see it with your own two eyes.  View De’Anthony Thomas’ highlight video.   Thanks to Under the Radar Productions for providing this highlight video.

You can view the complete ESPN Rise California 2011 watch list by clicking here.

High School Football de'anthony thomas, nelson fishback, patrick onwusor

If you have never heard of Kiehl Frazier you better ask somebody.   Frazier chewed up defenses from the quarterback position in 2009 like a five year old chews up jelly beans on Easter.

Frazier is the signal caller for Shiloh Christian High School in Arkansas.  Yes,  Shiloh is that school made famous by former coach  now Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan and prized QB recruit of several years ago,  Mitch Mustain.  Frazier put up some gaudy numbers as a junior like 3,817 yard passing with 48 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.  Add to that 764 yards rushing with another 14 plunges into the end zone.  However,  that’s not what hurts the most.   Consider this quote from Frazier in our interview.

“Our coaches don’t really keep us in the game that long,  usually like a half or a quarter.”

I guess it’s stuff like this that led to people creating the term WTF!  Frazier accounted for 62 TD’s and 4,581 yards of offense playing about a half in most of his games.  Oh yeah,  get your calculator out and see what would happen if he wasn’t wearing a baseball cap when the third quarter rolled around.

Although Malzhan is gone,  Shiloh is still running the hurry up offense that made him and the school famous.  This year with Frazier at the wheel,   it led to a state championship.   Along the way,  Shiloh racked up 45 points per game and beat opponents by an average of 27 points.   Josh Floyd is the head coach at Shiloh Christian and who better to keep running the no huddle spread attack than the man who first ran it for Coach Malzhan.   Shiloh Christian’s state championship was their third under Floyd in his five years and follows the one they won in 2008 to make it consecutive.

With so much success,  of course the colleges have come looking for Frazier.   Standing at 6’3″ 215 lbs. with a 4.57 forty and a 3.8 G.P.A.,  Frazier has something in common with actress Jessica Alba……  everybody wants you.   The young signal caller has interest from every D-I school in the country with offers from 23 of them with every BCS conference represented.   I am sure Frazier’s mailman has a gym membership.   He now faces the daunting task of narrowing down the huge list of “the interested” into a list of the contenders.    While he has not yet begun that process,  he has set up some trips.

“I am going to Arkansas this week and OU next week,  I don’t know after that,” said Frazier.

He does plan on making a pair of visits down to the Sunshine State but he does not yet have exact dates.

“I’m definitely going to Florida and Miami this spring or summer,” Frazier explains.

Obviously unofficial visits to in state Arkansas Razorbacks are in order and we will also have to see how much influence former coach Gus Malzhan will have on Floyd to get Frazier to Auburn who have also offered.    When asked if Malzhan being at Auburn gives them an edge or recruiting him,  Frazier replied,

“No, not really but I do have a great relationship with Coach Malzhan and the staff there.”

No doubt,  Frazier’s recruitment will be a very interesting journey in the 2nd half of this year.  For now,  he continues to work on his game because according to him it needs improvement (believe it or not).

“I need to work on my game in general,   footwork, reads, arm action, etc.” Frazier said. “I watch Peyton Manning of course because he’s at the peak of the game right now and Brett Favre because he’s not perfect but he knows how to play the game.”

Frazier’s at the peak of the high school game right now and unfortunately for Shiloh opponents this year it seems Frazier will be even better.  Can you say 5,000 yards of total offense and 70 TD’s in 2010?

View Kiehl Frazier’s highlight video at Gridironstuds.com,  click here.

High School Football kiehl frazier

February’s signing day came and went in a flash.  Lost in the whirlwind of top recruiting classes,  can’t miss prospects and class rankings were the talented football players across the country that did not sign letters of intent and are still looking to continue their post high school education and football careers.

For athletes in this position,  there are a few options like junior college, prep school or walking on.  However,  few options are as advantageous as the prep academy.  What’s a prep academy?  A prep academy,  of which there are only five in the country,  allows a potential college student athlete to take some college courses and earn credits without starting their NCAA eligibility clock.  In addition to that,  the athletes play a season of football to hone their skills and leave the experience with their five years to play four years of college football still intact.

New Mexico Prep Academy is such an institution and owner / head coach Farasi Norman is looking for some talented athletes from the 2010 class.   The appropriate term for this arrangement is called “gray shirt” whereby a student athlete delays his enrollment into a four year institution and can take college courses for the fall semester before transferring to a university.

Norman’s program gives high school athletes who came up short in the recruiting process or academically another chance to reach their dreams of playing college football.

“We get them used to working on a college campus,”  said Norman.

It’s a tremendous opportunity for athletes in this position and it’s a route being chosen more and more by athletes after high school.  Norman started New Mexico Prep Sports Academy four years ago after spending time at North Carolina Tech,  another prep academy.   With his roots in New Mexico,  Norman headed home after North Carolina Tech to offer this strong opportunity to athletes in his area.  Along the way,  a desire to compete and meet the needs of athletes across the country,  Norman started taking in players from various states.  Currently, most players come from the South including both the Deep South and the state of Texas.   Typically,  Norman’s roster is at 75 players of which he says 21 are from the state of Florida.  Norman and his staff run a tight ship.

“We are a zero tolerance institution,”  Norman explained.

Last season he had some issues with players falling out of line and going against team policies.  The behavior disrupted the goals of the academy and Norman had to send players home.

“It’s yes sir, no sir,  be accountable,”  said Norman.

If an athlete plays his cards right and does what he is supposed to,  they can leave the Academy in 6 months with a better opportunity to play college football than they had when they arrived.   Every player plays on Norman’s team and is given the opportunity to display their talents for prospective college football programs.   It’s a program that is embraced by four year institutions.

“Colleges love the idea of our academy,” Norman said.  “Players are introduced to the college lifestyle and way of life without losing any eligibility.”

Norman and his staff will ask a player when they arrive to give them three schools they would like to attend.   Then they go to work during the season contacting these schools and others about the athlete.  All the while,  the athlete is taking prep courses on improving SAT and/or ACT scores along with college courses.   New Mexico Prep Sports Academy basically gives the athlete the things he was missing while he was in high school.

With many of the athletes coming from great distances you have to wonder about things like home sickness but Norman says that’s not a problem.

“We do a lot of team camaraderie like barbeque, hiking and bowling.”  said Norman.  “We have a great professional staff comprised of police officers, insurance agents and mature adults.”

Currently,  Norman’s team has a need for offensive and defensive linemen along with kickers and defensive backs that have size and cover 1-on-1.    This opportunity is not only for players who have not qualified through the NCAA Clearinghouse.  It’s also available to players who have qualified and were not recruited out of high school.  Norman says that roughly 15 of the players on the roster will be guys who have qualified already.   In the four years that New Mexico Prep Sports Academy has been in existence,  coach Norman has placed players at schools like LSU, Northwestern, New Mexico and New Mexico St. along with a host of black colleges,  lower level Division I and Division II institutions.   Norman also fields regular interest from Cincinnati, Syracuse, Houston, USC and Arizona St.

“We have about a 93% rate of getting kids out to college football programs,” said Norman.

Interested student athletes,  can visit New Mexico Prep Sports Academy’s website at: http://www.thenmpsa.org/

General

It’s recruiting season and as such, 100′s of Class of 2011 hopefuls hit the camp and combine tour looking to catch the eyes of those that matter.  With so many college hopefuls jostling for position,  it can be tough getting the spotlight to shine on you.   That won’t stop Cardinal Gibbons high school cornerback Tim Burton from doing his thing.

Burton carries himself with that confident cornerback swagger.  When he strolled into the Under Armour combine last month,  Burton gave off that attitude like I’m the one to watch.  To his credit,  he delivered on that aura about him.  Burton clocked a 4.43 forty, did well in the drills and covered the wide outs like the candy coat on a peanut M&M.   Oh yeah,  Burton is the man and he’s going to let you know.

“You’re going to see a lot of speed this year,”  Burton warns.

Already quick as a cat,  Burton’s running track and has been putting his work in.  He’s being recruited as a defensive back but don’t just plan on seeing him in that one spot.

“I can play some offense too,” said Burton.  “I should play a lot of running back this year.”

With Gibbons losing running back Dareyon Chance to graduation,  the door is open for a speedster like Burton to pick up some carries.  His athletic skill set demands that you get the ball in his hands.  With that being the case,  Burton will play on both sides of the ball and on the kick teams too.

“I’m going to try to do some damage on special teams,”  Burton said.

Currently,  Burton has not been offered by a program yet but it’s only a matter of time.   He has had ongoing discussions and contact with Florida, Troy, East Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Rutgers and North Carolina.  Burton openly admits to really liking the state of North Carolina.    He would jump at a chance to go to NC State, Wake Forest, Duke or the one he favors the most North Carolina.

“I want to play for Butch Davis,”  Burton said bluntly.

If that doesn’t happen,  Burton says he likes the quality of education at a Duke or Wake Forest.  He knows that a NFL career has a small percentage of happening for most and definitely wants to have the best education possible to fall back on.

Burton also spends a lot of time with good friend Orville Reynolds from Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  Reynolds was a 1,400 yard rusher last season for the Eagles and is fielding strong interest  from Division-I programs.

“I want to go where I know people,”  Burton said of being interested in going where Reynolds goes.

Reynolds has had discussions Duke and Wake Forest.  As far as the state of Florida goes,  Burton says that Florida St. would be his top Florida school but points out that the Seminoles have made a lot of offers right now.

The month of May promises to be kind to Burton when it comes to college football offers.  Despite being below the ideal height (5’8 1/2″ 161) ,  his speed and ability to make plays can not go unnoticed.  He has Division-I skills and undoubtedly big name programs will make their bid for his services.  With Gibbons depending so much on him this season,  2010 will be exciting and interesting for Burton in his quest to stand up and be noticed.

Check out Tim Burton’s highlight video on Gridironstuds.com, click here.

High School Football tim burton